Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Diamond Aircraft Model: DA-42 Nickname: Twinstar
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Twin piston (diesel)

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 11/3/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 206
> Number of Times Flown: 126
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: Diamond DA-40, DA-62

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 159
> Date First Flown: 5/22/2007
> Location First Flown: Boeing Field, WA (KBFI)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Galvin Training, CFI Dave Cowan

Recollections: The Twinstar is my favorite piston multi-engine airplane.  It is a design that is well ahead of its time, incorporating the Garmin G1000 early, diesel engine that burns jet fuel and hash a Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) that has a single power lever for each engine (no prop lever, no condition lever/mixture).  And it is amazingly frugal with fuel.  It will fly from Seattle all the way to southern California with ease, if you can stand to sit that long.  An optional TKS ice protection system is very effective in icing conditions, in which I’ve flown the airplane many times.

The first generation of the Twinstar had significant maintenance issues.  For example, it required frequent and expensive overhaul of the reduction gear box.  Many of these issues were resolved in subsequent iterations of the design, including Diamond manufacturing its own engine instead of relying on an engine manufacturer.  The larger DA-62, which I have yet to fly, appears to be a good machine…though you pay for it.

I have flown the airplane quite a bit, mostly for keeping currency with the FAA but I also rented it myself to introduce this design to others.  The pictures show examples of people I’ve flown with.

The plane is super simple to operate (so much so that, when it was initially introduced, many people didn’t think it qualified as a “complex” airplane in the eyes of the FAA.  This was eventually resolved when the FAA stated it was complex, for logbook endorsement purposes), has great performance airborne, and honest flying qualifies.  You need a fair amount of runway and the tires are small-ish so easy on the brakes during landing rollout.  

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Grumman. Model: HU-16. Nickname: Albatross
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Sea
> Engine Description: Twin piston (radial)

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated:
UF-1; HU-16C Construction number G-400

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 107
> Date First Flown: 6/29/2000
> Location First Flown: Lake Tahoe, CA
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USNTPS Qual Eval, Dennis Buehn, one of the great people in the warbird community.

Recollections: Part of a staff field trip Qualitative Evaluation; gorgeous day at Lake Tahoe, flew the airplane for “high work”, evaluating mechanical characteristics, single control turns, and static/dynamic stability; then to the fun stuff…3 water landings, conducted at Lake Tahoe on a gorgeous clear day!

Years later, hoped to get the chance to fly some more, when my best friend, JB Hollyer, purchased an HU-16 to do oceanographic research.  Unfortunately that airplane was a hull loss, so grateful JB came out unhurt.

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: Douglas Aircraft. Model: A-26. Nickname: Invader
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Twin piston (radial)

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: A-20 Havoc?

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 85
> Date First Flown: 9/28/1996
> Location First Flown: Santa Monica Airport (KSMO)?
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: USNTPS Qual Eval

Recollections:
My logbook on this one is sparse.  No location, no names, just the entry “QE”.  The Serial number is listed in my log as “BC538”.  No amount of googling has helped me remember more and–I’m a bit ashamed to say–I don’t remember much about this flight, even WHERE it occurred.   The flight occurred early in my time as the Chief Flight Instructor (CFI) at USNTPS and, I suspect, occurred in the LA area–probably Santa Monica, maybe Torrance, because it occurred the same day as a J-3 cub flight that I remember well.  Anyway, that’s all I have on this one, disappointingly!

Aircraft Information
> Aircraft Make: North American Aviation Model: B-25. Nickname: Mitchell
> Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Piston
> FAA Category and Class: Airplane Multi-engine Land
> Engine Description: Twin piston

Aircraft Experience
> As of: 6/25/2024
> Number of Hours Flown: 1
> Number of Times Flown: 1
> Other Aircraft Models Associated: none

First Flown Information
> Sequence First Flown: 39
> Date First Flown: 12/7/1987
> Location First Flown: Near Ft Worth, TX (did not record airport ID)
> Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Howard Pardue

Recollections: I flew Serial number 44-30456 with Howard Pardue  on a Qualitative Evaluation from, I believe, Breckenride, TX airport (Mr. Pardue’s home airport).  What a beast!  Hard as heck to taxi (no nosewheel steering and the brakes were extremely sensitive and “grabbed” in a non-linear fashion) but, once free of the ground, she handled well.  Flying the Mitchell was a wonderful experience but I also enjoyed getting out of the seat, to let a fellow Test Pilot have his turn, and move to the bubble turret.  Flying over the Texas countryside with the most incredible view from that turret is a sold memory in my brain.

Years later, I took ground school in the B-25, with the hopes of getting qualified in her at the Historic Flight Foundation near Spokane, WA but the foundation folded before I could make it a reality.  I also tried at the CAF’s “Arizona Wing” in Mesa, AZ (attended ground school) but learned that breaking into that world was best accomplished with unlimited time and A&P mechanics skills.